/* ── CALENDLY MODAL ── */ Ascend: Built for Students. Backed by Recruiters.
Built for students. Backed by recruiters.

Your launch
into work life.

Career coaching by a recruiter who actively places candidates at startups. We coach to the highest hiring standard so every door opens easier.

Book a Free Consult → See Services
📄
Resume
ATS-optimized
💼
LinkedIn
Recruiter-ready
🎤
Interviews
Mock sessions
🚀
Strategy
Custom roadmap
Helping students land internships and full-time roles
CUC Berkeley UCLAUCLA SStanford UCSDUCSD UCIUC Irvine UCSCUCSC SCUSC CPCal Poly SJSUSJSU PUPenn UCDUC Davis IUIndiana University SDSUSDSU UCSBUCSB
Active
Technical Recruiter
placing candidates now
1k+
Resumes reviewed
as a working recruiter
1st
Hire at a Bay Area
startup recruiting firm
UCSD
Alum who went
through the same process
Recruiter network

Companies I've hired and recruited for

Past and present clients. I know their hiring bars, their teams, and what it takes to get in.

💊
Achira
Seed · Drug Discovery AI
🧠
Reflection AI
Series B · Frontier AI
🤖
Rhoda
Series A · Robotics AI
✈️
Swarm Aero
Seed · Defense Tech
🧬
FutureHouse
Nonprofit · AI Research
⚖️
Crosby
Seed · Agentic Law Firm
🔬
Merge Labs
Seed · Brain-Computer Interface
Process

From student to offer
in four steps

A recruiter-designed process built around getting you hired.

1
📋

Free Discovery Call

We learn your goals, your target roles, and your timeline. Your personalized strategy starts here.

2
🔍

Profile Audit

We evaluate your resume and LinkedIn through the eyes of a recruiter, finding gaps and quick wins you would never catch yourself.

3
✏️

Optimize & Rebuild

We rewrite, refine, and position you for the roles you want. Every word is intentional. Every bullet earns its spot.

4
🎯

Interview Ready

Live mock interviews, offer negotiation coaching, and ongoing support until you land.

Services

Everything you need
to get hired

Built from real recruiter experience. Not career center guesswork.

📄

Resume Rewrite

Recruiter-crafted resumes that clear ATS filters and make hiring managers take notice.

  • ✓ Full resume rewrite from scratch
  • ✓ ATS keyword optimization
  • ✓ Tailored to your target roles
  • ✓ Delivery in 3–5 business days
Most Popular
💼

LinkedIn Makeover

Turn your LinkedIn from an afterthought into a recruiter magnet that tells your story.

  • ✓ Headline + summary rewrite
  • ✓ Experience section optimization
  • ✓ Skills and keyword strategy
  • ✓ Recruiter search visibility boost
🎤

Interview Prep

Live mock interviews with real feedback from a recruiter who's run hundreds of them.

  • ✓ 60-min mock interview session
  • ✓ Behavioral + technical prep
  • ✓ STAR method coaching
  • ✓ Written debrief + action items
🗺️

Full Career Launch

The complete package: everything above plus ongoing job search strategy and support.

  • ✓ Everything in all packages
  • ✓ Custom job search roadmap
  • ✓ Internship & offer negotiation coaching
  • ✓ 30-day ongoing support
Pricing

Let's figure out
what works for you.

Every engagement is different. Book a free 30-minute call and we'll talk through what you need, what makes sense, and what it costs. No pitch, no pressure.

📄
Resume + LinkedIn
One-time rewrite of your resume and LinkedIn profile, tailored to your target roles.
🔄
Monthly Support
Ongoing revisions, weekly check-ins, and job search strategy for as long as you need it.
🎤
Interview Prep
Live mock interview with a recruiter who has run hundreds of them. Book a session when you need it.
Book interview session →
Start with a free 30-minute call.
We'll talk through where you're at, what you're going for, and build a plan that fits. Pricing is discussed on the call.
Book Free Consult →
Why Ascend

Recruiter insight,
not recycled advice

🎯

We know what works, because we're hiring

Ascend is run by a technical recruiter actively placing candidates at startups. We see what's on a hiring manager's screen when your resume lands.

✂️

Not the same as ChatGPT

AI can rewrite your resume. It can't tell you what's getting candidates rejected right now, or make a warm intro. That's the difference.

📈

Startup bar = highest standard

Startups have no HR buffer and zero tolerance for fluff. We coach you to that standard, so whether you're targeting an early-stage startup or a large company, you walk in prepared.

"Most students have great experience. They just don't know how to show it."
We built Ascend because career advice from a career center isn't the same as advice from someone who actively recruits. The gap is real, and it is closeable.
Ascend Founder, Technical Recruiter · Walnut Creek, CA
100%
Recruiter-led coaching
Startup
Hiring expertise focus
Recruiter credentials

Advice from inside
the hiring room

Ascend isn't run by a career coach. It's run by a working technical recruiter, someone who has reviewed thousands of applications and made real hiring decisions.

🏢
Active Technical Recruiter
Placing software engineers and technical talent at venture-backed startups, currently and actively.
📋
1,000+ Resumes Reviewed
Real-world experience screening candidates across engineering, product, and sales roles at early-stage companies.
🤝
Startup Hiring Specialist
Deep knowledge of what seed-to-Series B companies value in their earliest hires, and how to position yourself accordingly.
🎓
UCSD Graduate
We know what it's like to graduate without a clear path in. We built the resource we wish we'd had.
The person behind it
E
Founder
Ethan · Ascend Advising
Technical Recruiter · First hire at Vessel Talent · UCSD Alum

I started Ascend because I kept seeing the same problem: smart, qualified students who couldn't get past the resume screen. Not because they lacked experience, but because they didn't know how to present it. As someone who actively places candidates at startups, I see both sides of the table. I know exactly what a hiring manager wants to see, and I built Ascend to give every student that unfair advantage.

Technical Recruiting Startup Hiring Resume Strategy Interview Coaching UCSD '24
Why It Works

A different kind of career coaching

🎯
Recruiter Perspective
Most career coaches have never hired anyone. Ascend is run by someone actively placing candidates, so the advice reflects what hiring managers actually see today.
🚀
Startup Standard
Early-stage companies have no HR buffer. Getting coached to that bar means you walk into any interview more prepared than the average candidate.
📍
Real Feedback
No templates. No generic scripts. Every session is built around your background, your target roles, and what is actually working in the market right now.
🔒
100% Confidential
Your info stays private
💸
Full Refund Policy
Cancel 48hrs before, no questions
⚡
Fast Turnaround
Deliverables in 3 to 5 business days
🎯
Free First Call
No commitment to get started

Ready to launch?

Book a free 30-minute discovery call. Zero pressure, zero commitment. Just honest career advice from someone on the other side of the hiring desk.

Book Your Free Call →

Or reach us on LinkedIn · @ascendadvising